For Nick and Shannon Hamulak, a family experience became a defining turning point— so when their brother-in-law’s battle with cancer took his balance, his mobility, and eventually his life, the loss left more than grief; it lit a spark.
What began as heartbreak became a mission to help others reclaim their strength and independence. Through sheer perseverance and a relentless belief that movement changes lives, they built something extraordinary: a thriving FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers clinic in Columbus, Ohio that changes lives every day.
These days, their wins aren’t measured by numbers alone; they’re measured in hope restored, lives rebuilt, and the gratitude that comes with seeing people return to the life they love.
Hear from Nick and Shannon the video below.
Q: Before FYZICAL was even on your radar, life handed your family a reason to care deeply about balance and mobility. How did that experience lead you here?
I worked with a broker who gathered information about our background and interests, and he put together 10 options — everything from gyms to dog-grooming franchises.
A few years before that, my brother-in-law had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He was only 36, with two young kids, and he experienced a lot of balance and dizziness issues as he went through treatment.
Unfortunately, he passed away.
So when the list of franchise options came back and FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers showed up, it immediately caught our attention. It just felt like something we were meant to look into. The brand was strong, and FYZICAL felt like the right fit for us.
Q: You joined FYZICAL with such a personal "why." What happened when passion ran into the challenges of running a business?
Nick: When we launched, it was very slow going. We had one PT at the beginning, and she was only seeing four or five visits a week. We were just crawling, trying to build momentum.
So, I acquired a plumbing company and dove headfirst into that. For quite a while, I tried to juggle both businesses. But by the time we refocused on FYZICAL, the clinic was only doing about 150 visits a month — not enough to sustain.
So we had a decision to make: "Do we shut it down, or do we dive all the way in and see what we can really build?"
Shannon: Unfortunately, we saw firsthand what a quality-of-life issue it becomes when someone starts to lose mobility.
Nick: We did a 180 and said, “You know what? We’ve been in business a long time—let’s apply what we know and grow this thing.” And as soon as we made those changes, things really started to accelerate.
Q: What did those first few months actually look like, and how did you push through them?
We had to weather that storm. Shannon had to jump in more, even with three young kids and everything else going on in life. She really stepped up to help keep things moving.
Eventually, we rehired a PT, our Clinical Director came back from maternity leave, and we started dialing everything in—tracking our metrics, changing vendors, switching EMRs, completely reworking our marketing strategy, and selling the plumbing company so we could focus entirely on FYZICAL.
Q: What adjustments did you make to help flip the momentum?
By tracking very specific numbers each week, we figured out exactly how many leads and new patients we needed, and how to fill each provider’s schedule.
Now, we strictly run Meta ads—and they’ve worked extremely well for us. When done right, Meta ads can generate a large number of leads, but you have to understand that only about 10-15% will actually show up. We have a couple of ads, whether it's balance, shoulder, or back pain, that we just run constantly. They never shut off.
As soon as those leads come in, we contact them, schedule them for a free screen or an eval, and then let our providers do what they do best.
Instead of visiting doctors’ offices for referrals, we shifted to more digital marketing and workshops. That’s when things really started to move. We began bringing in the right number of patients each month to support a full provider, and once we hit that, we just repeated the process—fill one provider, add another.
Where our Clinical Director, Carmen Soranno, was once doing four or five visits a week, we’re now booking over a thousand visits a month. From the end of last year to this year, the growth has been massive—a pretty dramatic turnaround.
There were many other adjustments along the way, but that shift to digital marketing and data-driven goals was what really snowballed into our ability to add providers.
Q: Big turnarounds rarely happen alone. Who helped you steady the ship when things finally began to shift?
I’d also say a few people were really instrumental in helping us turn things around. Bringing Franchise Regional Consultant Mallory Hertz on board made a big difference—she’s great to talk to and brought a valuable perspective.
I’ve also connected with several other clinic owners over the past couple of years who shared great insights and advice. There’s definitely a handful of people who’ve been incredibly helpful along the way.
Q: What kind of metrics did you start focusing on once you made those changes?
I’ve spent a lot of time digging into the financial side, too—our payer mix, revenue per visit, number of units, and which codes and treatment combinations perform best.
We’ve made some significant changes because of it: dropped a few insurance contracts, went out-of-network with some payers, and added cash-pay services to boost revenue.
We track everything daily, weekly, and monthly. The staff knows their numbers every week—they know their cancellation rates, and we talk about why those things happen. That visibility and accountability made a huge difference.
Switching from WebPT to Prompt also helped a lot. The automations and AI integration in Prompt take care of a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, which has been a game-changer for efficiency and consistency.
All the pieces matter.
Q: Do you have a specific strategy when it comes to hiring and building your team?
Nick: It’s actually pretty simple. When a provider has around 33 active patients consistently and they’re scheduling those patients twice a week, they’re full. That’s the marker.
"When a provider has around 33 active patients consistently and they’re scheduling those patients twice a week, they’re full. That’s the marker."
- Nick Hamulak, FYZICAL Owner
Once they hit that point, I know it’s time to hire another provider—because I can fill that next one up, too.
Q: You mentioned digital marketing became your engine. How did Shannon and the team turn those leads into actual patients?
Shannon figured all that out—she built a process in our CRM, trained the front office team, and made sure they knew exactly how to handle each lead. Now that the system runs smoothly, digital marketing has become the engine that drives our growth.
Shannon: Before FYZICAL, I worked as an admissions counselor and recruiter for a university, so my whole background was calling people, talking to them, and helping them see how our programs could meet their needs. I drew on that experience when we switched to Meta ads and suddenly had all these people reaching out.
It can feel a bit like a cold call—but it’s not. They’ve already raised their hand and said, “Hey, I’m interested. I’ve got shoulder pain,” or whatever it may be. Our job is to follow up quickly and have a real conversation about how we can help.
You can’t just call once and hope for the best. If they don’t pick up, you call again. You text. You email. You need a communication flow—a rhythm—to stay in touch and capture that lead. It took some trial and error, but we’ve figured out a process that works really well for getting people to respond and, ultimately, come in for care.
"You can’t just call once and hope for the best. If they don’t pick up, you call again. You text. You email. You need a communication flow—a rhythm—to stay in touch and capture that lead."
-Shannon Hamulak, FYZICAL Owner
Q: Did that process change how your Client Care Specialist (CCS) shows up for patients?
Shannon: Yes, absolutely. When we first rolled out the process, we trained the team on exactly how we wanted it handled—when to make the first call, when to send a text, when to follow up by email, and what that communication should sound like.
Over time, our current CCS has really made the process her own, which has been great to see. The communication naturally evolves as patients move through the system, and a lot of it is automated now—but the personal touch is still there.
Our team is very intentional about reaching out to new leads as a priority, using every channel—calls, texts, and emails—to make sure those people feel seen and supported from the very beginning.
Q: What does impact look like now—in numbers and in families?
Shannon: Some of that growth is just a reflection of how great our providers are. We’ll have one patient come in, work with a therapist, and then bring in their entire family. Now we’re treating multiple family members from that one initial visit.
A lot of our referrals come from that kind of word-of-mouth—it’s not something we can control, it’s just a testament to the incredible team we have here and the way they connect with patients.
Q: Once your own clinic found its footing, you chose not to slow down but to help other owners do the same.
Nick: I started a marketing and consulting company to help other practice owners learn how to build and grow successful clinics. Whoever has a need.
We help small PT clinics turn things around quickly by applying the same principles that worked for us—organizing the data, tracking it consistently, and using it to make smart business decisions. Once you can clearly see your numbers, you know exactly where to push and where to pull back. That’s where the growth happens.
Q: When you picture the future, what does “growth” look like—for your business and your family?
Shannon: In a lot of ways, this expansion already feels like opening a second location. Even though it’s technically the same space, we’re doubling our footprint and adding enough room for as many providers as we currently have.
We also got fortunate—the space directly behind our clinic opened up. That means our Clinical Director won’t have to travel between locations; she can walk down the hallway. It’s a huge win for us and makes this feel like a true second location without the extra logistical headaches.
Q: You’ve rebuilt your business from the ground up. What’s the advice you wish every FYZICAL owner could hear before they start that climb?
Nick: First, know your numbers—all of them. I talk with a lot of owners who don’t really know their key metrics, and it’s eye-opening when I start asking questions. What’s your clinic efficiency number? How many active patients do you have? How many visits per month? What’s your revenue per visit? Those should be top of mind every single day.
Second, be careful with your marketing. I threw everything at the wall at first to see what stuck, and it cost a lot of money. Now we know what works for us—but if you’re just starting out, find the strategy that drives the leads and have a solid system to convert them.
Third, reactivate your past patients. That’s a big one for us. Have a system in place to bring them back in for follow-ups or additional care.
And finally, hire good people. I know it’s tough—everyone says, “I can’t find anyone.” But the people in your clinic make all the difference in the world. I learned the hard way that the rule of hire slow, fire fast is absolutely true. I haven’t always followed it as much as I should have, but it’s a lesson I think about every day.
Q: This season of gratitude, what are you most thankful for in this journey?
Nick: It’s been incredibly fulfilling. We got into this to help people, and the number of lives we’ve been able to impact and the dramatic shifts have been amazing. And it’s not just the patients—their family members come in to thank us for how it’s changed their loved ones’ lives.
That’s what drives us. The more people we can help, the better. We’re going to keep growing, open as many clinics as we can, and reach as many families as possible.
"The number of lives we’ve been able to impact and the dramatic shifts have been amazing...The more people we can help, the better."
- Nick Hamulak, FYZICAL Owner
Shannon: For us, knowing that we’re helping families who’ve experienced what we've experienced…it means everything. It's great to know there's some good coming from all of it.
We lost our brother-in-law, and that was incredibly hard.
I also have a best friend whose husband has stage-four cancer that’s spread to his bones, and he’s been doing physical therapy.
The first year after his diagnosis, Nick had to push him through the Columbus Zoo holiday lights in a wheelchair. But the last four years, he’s walked it himself. It’s truly improving his life.
And like Nick mentioned, it’s a huge weight off family members when they don’t have to struggle as much with what their loved one can or can’t do.
Seeing that independence come back, seeing them participate in life again—it’s all worth it.
Every bit of the struggle.
Every bit of the learning curve.
That’s the power of physical therapy—it’s life-changing.
"Seeing that independence come back, seeing them participate in life again—it’s all worth it. That’s the power of physical therapy—it’s life-changing."
- Shannon Hamulak, FYZICAL Owner
Thank you for your time.
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